Øystein

Johansen

BUNNYHEAD PRODUCTIONS

OBSESSED

"Obsessed" will be looking at the dynamics of obsession: the moment when one little detail takes over your whole life. Rather than focusing on the psychological processes of obsession, however, Johansen will focus on the physical dynamics of obsession. How does an body move when it is under the spell of a specific detail? How does it sustain itself in a world were there is only one detail that counts? Are there a specific movement vocabulary that marks the obsessed body?

In order to explore the physical mechanics of obsession Johansen will start from a thought experiment that is as original as it is intriguing: What if five famous obsessed characters from Shakespeare’s meet in the waiting room of a therapist? How will they react to each other and how will their obsession reveal itself during the waiting? The plays of Shakespeare are full of obsessed figures. Often this obsession plays a crucial role in the development of the narrative. In this piece however Johansen will focus less on the psychology of the obsessed characters. Rather he will start from the way they move, studying the physicality of each figures by piecing together all the indication of this physical behavior that are in the plays. From this, Johansen will try to develop the characters physical identity. In turn, this identity will serve as the starting point to create the encounter.